Disposable bib and package



Sept. 26, 1961 J. A. COOPER DISPOSABLE BIB AND PACKAGE Filed Feb. 9, 1959 R m M T 0 mm .0 m A M w H A J J. a 5 6 10 m m/wem Q H A... l j/ \A/ f 2 5 l I 3 2 Q .4... n. 5vmr n-. m p w United States Patent 3,001,646 DISPOSABLE B1B AND PACKAGE Jack A. Cooper, 65 Valley View, San Rafael, Calif. Filed Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 792,088 1 Claim. (Cl. 20658) This invention relates to disposable bibs of the type made from inexpensive sheet material such as paper and which may be discarded after one use.

Heretofore various attempts have been made to provide a disposable bib of the type herein contemplated, but such attempts have been unsuccessful, either because the bib did not function as intended, or was too expensive to be practical.

Although the advantage of providing a relatively largev number of such bibs in the form of a continuous roll is recognized, prior attempts to package the bibs in this form have resulted in the functioning of the bib being impaired or the package being unwieldy to manufacture or to use.

It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a disposable bib which overcomes the disadvantages of prior art bibs or like nature and which bib lends itself to packaging in a convenient roll for instant use when desired.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a disposable bib which is extremely convenient to use either by a dentist or doctor on a patient or by a mother on a child.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an improved package containing a relatively large number of bibs in the form of a roll and which roll is perfectly cylindrical in form having no cut-outs to impair the shape thereof. In this connection it should be noted that the provision of cut-outs of any size on a rolled sheet results in soft spots in the roll because of the unequal thickness along the length thereof. It will also be appreciated that manufacturing complications occur in such a case, not only because the cut-out portion must be disposed of, but also because the step of rolling up the sheet on the core is made more difficult. By the present invention the use of such cut-outs on the rolled material is avoided.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a bib having a simple neckline structure requiring a minimum amount of manipulation by the person applying the bib. In this connection it is important not to require the user to tear out relatively small portions of the bib in order to secure the neck margin. In other Words, if a great amount of time or accuracy is required to secure the neck structure in place the practical value of the bib is impaired because the bib should ordinarily be applied quickly and must lend itself to manipulation by one having wet or greasy hands. By the present invention no manipulation of small tabs is required.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing the package of bibs in the form of a roll;

FIGPZ is a front elevation of the bib;

FIG. 3 is a perspective showing the bib as it appears when worn;

FIG. 4 is a large scale fragmentary elevation of the neck portion of the bib showing the construction of the lines of weakness.

In detail, bibs, according to the present invention, are adapted to be packaged in the form of an elongated length of paper rolled on a conventional core, indicated at 1 in FIG. 1. The paper is preferably porous, having the consistency of a paper towel but is provided on Patented Sept. 26, 196-1 2 the reverse side with a thin layer of silicon material 2 (FIG. 1) which is moisture repellant so as to prevent moisture from passing through the paper onto the user.

At equally spaced points along the length of the paper roll it is provided with parallel transversely extending lines of weakness 3 for dividing the length into equal bib sections 4 which are rectangular in form, having upper and lower transverse end edges 5, 6 respectively and opposite longitudinally extending side edges 7, 8.

Adjacent the upper end edge 5 but spaced therefrom is a preferably circular cut-out 10 positioned centrally between the side edges 7, 8 and defined by circular slits 11. Preferably four such slits -11 are employed, and said slits are spaced apart at their adjacent ends by a relatively small section of the paper sheet indicated at 12. By making the slits 11 almost a quarter of a circle in length and thereby making the portions :12 relatively small, the circular cut-out 10 may readily be removed thereby providing a neck opening 14 (FIG. 3). In fact, said cut-out 10 practically falls out, having only slight adherence to the remainder of the section.

' If the bib is to be employed on a child the cut-out 10 provides an excellent coaster on which the childs cup or glass may be placed, thereby giving enjoyment to. the child in addition to providing a practical absorbent mat.

Between the cut-out 10 (FIG. 4) and the upper end edge 5 of the bib section 4 there is provided a line of weak ness extending from said cut-out 10 toward the edge "5 and consisting of several slits 16. By the present invention the slits 16 (FIG. 4) do not extend to the end edge 5 defined by the line of weakness 3 (FIG. 4) but terminate short of said line to provide a portion 18 that is integral with the remainder of said sheet. Furthermore, as best seen in FIG. 4, the central slit 20 that defines the central portion of the line of weakness 3 of the paper preferably extends to opposite sides of the line of weakness defined by the slits 16.

By the above described structure there is no tendency for the paper to be torn along its length and into the neck opening when one bib section is being separated from the roll. This is important because only one bib section at a time may be removed from the roll thus effecting a savings in material and preventing the inconvenience resulting from the bib being torn before it is used.

On one side of the line of weakness 16 there is provided a spot 22 of pressure sensitive adhesive material which may be more properly called a cohesive since it is of the type'that adheres only to itself. A similar spot 23 is applied to the opposite surface of the sheet and on the opposite side of the line of weakness 16 from the spot 22.

It will be noted that the cut-out 10 and the end edge 5 define'a marginal portion or margin therebetween, one half of which margin is on one side of the line of weakness 16 and indicated at 25, and the other half being on the opposite side of the line of weakness 16 and designated 26.

At this point it will be apparent that it is a simple matter, after one sheet has been removed from the roll, to break the portion 18 and tear along the line of weakness 16 and to remove the cut-out 10. The bib may then be applied to the neck of the user and secured in place by pressing the spot 23 against the spot 22 thereby cohering the cohesive material and integrally securing the marginal portions 25, 26 together (FIG. 3).

Adjacent the lower end edge 6 of the bib sheet and extending parallel to side edges 7, 8 are two elongated portions on which cohesive material, such as described above, is applied as indicated at 30, 31. After the bib is secured in place it is a simple matter to fold over the lower marginal portion along the fold line indicated at 32 (FIG. 2) to provide a catch all pocket generally designated '33Tin FIG. 3. It will also be noted that the pressure sensitive material provides a seal at the opposite ends of the pocket 33 permitting the latter to hold liquid without leaking.

An important feature of the invention is that when the marginal portions 25, 26 are secured in lapping relationship as described above the central or chest portion of the bib tends to bulge outwardly slightly from the chest of the user thereby making it form fitting to some extent. Furthermore, this same action tends to cause the lower marginal portion to bulge inwardly so that the pocket 33 is held in an open position to catch any materials which may fall from the users mouth.

It will be apparent that the above described bib readily lends itself to manufacture by mass production machinery and that no problem is presented by cut-outs. Furthermore, the applicationv of ,the cohesive material does not present any production problem and the bibs may be rolled up in the fashion of paper towels.

The above specific description of the invention is not to be taken as restrictive thereof as it is obvious that various modifications in design may'be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claim;

For example, in lieu of one of the spots 22, 23 of cohesive material, an elongated deposit of such material may be provided on one of the marginal portions 25, 26 so as to permit adjustability in the size of the neck opening if desired.

1 claim:

An elongated strip of readily disposable, relatively thin sheet paper-like material suitable for providing protective bibs for infants and rolled lengthwise on itself to provide i a roll, said strip being of a width adapted to substantially cover the front of an infant and being cut through at spaced points along lines extending transversely across said sheet relative to its length to provide lines of weakness defining bib-length sections of said strip between adjacent of said lines and along which lines successive of said portions are adapted to be torn fromone end of said strip, a generally circular line of spaced cuts formed in each of said sections closely adjacent the line defining one end of each section and positioned centrally between the longitudinally extending edges of said strip and defining a line of weakness to facilitate removal of the material enclosed by said circular line, said circular line defining the outline of a neck opening in said sheet adapted to receive the neck of such infant, a relatively narrow, solid, imperforate portion of said strip being interposed between each of said circular lines of cuts and the adjacent transverse line of cuts and extending to said transverse line of cuts and adapted to'be broken subsequently by the user for'tearing each portion from said strip, and means forming a line of weakness between said imperforate portion and said circular line of spaced cuts to facilitate breaking said imperforateiportion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 711,981

2,900,640 Haydn Aug. 25, 1959 

